This pioneer was a native of Massachusetts and was born in 1792. He lived there on his father's farm until 1816. He then immigrated to the wilds of western New York. This was in Wyoming County where he married Sarah Gleason and was engaged in farming until 1844. In 1844, he moved to Illinois and became the owner of 80 acres three miles east of Newark.
Aside from his farming, he was willing to do any kind of work that afforded a fair compensation. In this new country the digging and walling of wells, though somewhat hazardous, was a profitable business and he engaged in it. From the fall of 1847 to the fall of 1851, he dug and walled up many wells in this vicinity. Two for George Hollenback, one for John Hollenback, one for Burr Bristol, on for Asa Manchester, two for John Boyd, one for Alanson Robinson, and one for Pernett Warner.
The Hornblower well was begun about the first of September 1851. This was the well in which Howes lost his life. Nels O. Cassem, then a young man recently from Norway, was with Howes on a number of these jobs, but on the day of the fatal accident he was absent and Howe's son Ezekiel, was in Cassem's place at the windlass. They were now walling up the well. All of the old windlass rope had been condemned except about three feet of it to which was attached the iron hook used for holding the bucket. It was proposed to splice this short piece of the old rope to a new rope that had been procured. Dr. Hornblower's hired man, George Gardner, claimed that he had been a sailor and that he could splice the rope so it would be stronger at the splice than at any other point. He was allowed to try it. The spliced rope held together for a while. At last, just as a bucketful of stone was about to be sent down and the plank underneath the bucket was slipped aside, the rope pulled apart at the splice and down shot the bucket striking the man on the head and back with fatal results.
Aside from his farming, he was willing to do any kind of work that afforded a fair compensation. In this new country the digging and walling of wells, though somewhat hazardous, was a profitable business and he engaged in it. From the fall of 1847 to the fall of 1851, he dug and walled up many wells in this vicinity. Two for George Hollenback, one for John Hollenback, one for Burr Bristol, on for Asa Manchester, two for John Boyd, one for Alanson Robinson, and one for Pernett Warner.
The Hornblower well was begun about the first of September 1851. This was the well in which Howes lost his life. Nels O. Cassem, then a young man recently from Norway, was with Howes on a number of these jobs, but on the day of the fatal accident he was absent and Howe's son Ezekiel, was in Cassem's place at the windlass. They were now walling up the well. All of the old windlass rope had been condemned except about three feet of it to which was attached the iron hook used for holding the bucket. It was proposed to splice this short piece of the old rope to a new rope that had been procured. Dr. Hornblower's hired man, George Gardner, claimed that he had been a sailor and that he could splice the rope so it would be stronger at the splice than at any other point. He was allowed to try it. The spliced rope held together for a while. At last, just as a bucketful of stone was about to be sent down and the plank underneath the bucket was slipped aside, the rope pulled apart at the splice and down shot the bucket striking the man on the head and back with fatal results.
This pioneer was a native of Massachusetts and was born in 1792. He lived there on his father's farm until 1816. He then immigrated to the wilds of western New York. This was in Wyoming County where he married Sarah Gleason and was engaged in farming until 1844. In 1844, he moved to Illinois and became the owner of 80 acres three miles east of Newark.
Aside from his farming, he was willing to do any kind of work that afforded a fair compensation. In this new country the digging and walling of wells, though somewhat hazardous, was a profitable business and he engaged in it. From the fall of 1847 to the fall of 1851, he dug and walled up many wells in this vicinity. Two for George Hollenback, one for John Hollenback, one for Burr Bristol, on for Asa Manchester, two for John Boyd, one for Alanson Robinson, and one for Pernett Warner.
The Hornblower well was begun about the first of September 1851. This was the well in which Howes lost his life. Nels O. Cassem, then a young man recently from Norway, was with Howes on a number of these jobs, but on the day of the fatal accident he was absent and Howe's son Ezekiel, was in Cassem's place at the windlass. They were now walling up the well. All of the old windlass rope had been condemned except about three feet of it to which was attached the iron hook used for holding the bucket. It was proposed to splice this short piece of the old rope to a new rope that had been procured. Dr. Hornblower's hired man, George Gardner, claimed that he had been a sailor and that he could splice the rope so it would be stronger at the splice than at any other point. He was allowed to try it. The spliced rope held together for a while. At last, just as a bucketful of stone was about to be sent down and the plank underneath the bucket was slipped aside, the rope pulled apart at the splice and down shot the bucket striking the man on the head and back with fatal results.
Aside from his farming, he was willing to do any kind of work that afforded a fair compensation. In this new country the digging and walling of wells, though somewhat hazardous, was a profitable business and he engaged in it. From the fall of 1847 to the fall of 1851, he dug and walled up many wells in this vicinity. Two for George Hollenback, one for John Hollenback, one for Burr Bristol, on for Asa Manchester, two for John Boyd, one for Alanson Robinson, and one for Pernett Warner.
The Hornblower well was begun about the first of September 1851. This was the well in which Howes lost his life. Nels O. Cassem, then a young man recently from Norway, was with Howes on a number of these jobs, but on the day of the fatal accident he was absent and Howe's son Ezekiel, was in Cassem's place at the windlass. They were now walling up the well. All of the old windlass rope had been condemned except about three feet of it to which was attached the iron hook used for holding the bucket. It was proposed to splice this short piece of the old rope to a new rope that had been procured. Dr. Hornblower's hired man, George Gardner, claimed that he had been a sailor and that he could splice the rope so it would be stronger at the splice than at any other point. He was allowed to try it. The spliced rope held together for a while. At last, just as a bucketful of stone was about to be sent down and the plank underneath the bucket was slipped aside, the rope pulled apart at the splice and down shot the bucket striking the man on the head and back with fatal results.
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